[IH8Rice]

after playing with my new GoPro HD, we have been playing with different mounting setups and was curious what others have done that is a bit different or how they have their chest mount setup.

until they come out with their firmware to get the upside down shooting for the HD, how have others mounted theirs?

 

[rollertoaster]

sometimes I mount mine upside down, and just flip the video using an editor. More often I use a helmet mount, or mount it on the seatpost. I have a chest mount and rarely use it.

 

[nybike1971]

Try pulling the straps in the chest mount as tight as possible so the GoPro sits basically at the same height as chest straps in the Camelbak. You will get a much higher trail perspective and not stare at your knees as much.

 

[ebarker9]

For the chest mount, it seems that most people either mount the camera upside down or use the mounting arm to get enough of an upward angle. Someone on here had a picture of the setup a while back. I'll see if I can track it down. I'm still having trouble getting mine stable enough with the chest mount, even with the straps fully tightened, so I'd be curious to hear what others are doing in that regard (rather not wear a CamelBack in addition to all of the other DH stuff just to keep the camera from moving around).

 

[freeridefool]

I like the side of my helmet about level with my goggle strap. That way I still can see down the trail, but I still get my hands and bars in the video as well. It seems like it gives me more perspective with what is actually going on. And I can see what Im doing wrong and what not.

This video the camera is pointed a little too far out but you get the point. This is also with my regular gopro before I got my hd.

 

[IH8Rice]

sometimes I mount mine upside down, and just flip the video using an editor.

which software do you use?
ive used cyberlink's products for my normal video camera editing but havent tried it yet with the gopro.

 

[ods]

I took a block of styro-foam and cut it into a wedge, then ziptied it to the back of the chest mount plate. (it rides between your chest and the inside of the chest mount plate.) If I were to guess, it is about 4 inches wide, 2-2.5 inches thick on the bottom and tapers down to nothing on the top side. I've got a couple of video's that show the result. If need be, I can get a picture of the set-up, but that should be clear.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/132470/ this will get you to one, and then there are more on the right.

The only issue I have found with the chest mount is compatibility with neck protection (ie. Leatt).

I tried the arm extension method, but ended up with a lot of shakey video.

 

[IH8Rice]

If need be, I can get a picture of the set-up, but that should be clear.

pics in the thread would be great and would help all

 

[rollertoaster]

which software do you use?
ive used cyberlink's products for my normal video camera editing but havent tried it yet with the gopro.

I have been using windows live movie maker. I know it sucks but for the most part it gets the job done for me.

 

[ods]

Attached are some very unprofessional pictures.

 

[kidwoo]

Check this out.


http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=644945

 

[NY_Star]

This is a set up we did in Colorado. It turned out to be a little low. It keep on hitting his handlebars. Made for a cool shot thought. Would have worked better if we rotated the stick the other way.

 

[IH8Rice]

I have been using windows live movie maker.

i thought movie maker cant read .mp4 files

 

[ods]

i thought movie maker cant read .mp4 files

I just got a new computer and it has Windows 7 and it does work, while it did not with XP

 

[IH8Rice]

I just got a new computer and it has Windows 7 and it does work, while it did not with XP

nor with Vista.

 

[frango]

I've mounted my GoPro Hero to the 661 Evo helmet using curved base. I also used layer or two of thick aluminum sticking tape and rubber thingy to reduce rattling to zero

I made my own chest mount using piece of GoPro's box and pieces of Headlamp-Style Head Strap and piece of dense foam. I don't have buckles on it, so wearing it is a bit tricky I use Vertical Surface J-Hook Buckle to mount camera upside down and flip the image in VLC for watching.

I've bought HR (German company) suction cup mount for GPS and combined it with GoPro mounts. Used it in the car on on motorcycle, so far with success Cost about 10$

I plan to make pole mounting device. I think it will need some counter-weight.

PS1. there is one problem I have to solve. GoPro's tightening bolt hits leatt brace, constantly. It's pretty annoying. I have to replace it with bear bolt, I guess.

PS2. My buddy mounts my GoPro on his D2 helmet just under the visor. It give nice, centered perspective, w/o any part of the helmet in the camera's view.

 

[Craig Quik]

nor with Vista.

I discovered this the other day but I managed to download a pretty decent .mp4 - .avi/others converter for free. Most converters either didn't work, or were not 'free'.

Here it is, if anyone needs it:
Mpeg Streamclip

 

[xxFRESHxx]

regarding upside down recordings i actually don't really see a problem with it. if you are going to cut and edit the material rotating it 180° takes you maybe two clicks. and if you wanna watch the material right out of the cam you can, for example, use the VLC media player and just rotate the view there. no big deal really.


i mostly use my selfmade chest strap with the camera mounted upside down.

some more pics here
at first i just had the straps alone but the result was pretty shaky. i then added the "H" made of some old carbon plates i had lying around to increase the contact area and added another strap at the bottom.
i also added a piece of rubber between the camera housing and the mounting piece because the cam used turn downwards while riding. works out pretty fine now, last thing left is to figure out the right angle for the camera. could still be a little higher up than in this video.

and sometimes i use this

pretty simple yet effective way to be ably to completely remove the ugly gopro mounting plate from the helmet when the cam is not in use. i just glued a piece of an old inner tube to to the backside of the carbon plate to add a little more friction between it an the surface of the helmet.
in a crash it might damage the the tread insert for the visor screw, though.

 

[rollertoaster]

I use the suction cup mount for the car. I also made an extendable boom that mounts with 2 heavy duty suction cups. It works pretty good for the car and the angles you can get with it can be pretty cool

 

[frango]

i mostly use my selfmade chest strap with the camera mounted upside down.

Wow! This is huge and complicated. But, certainly adds stability. I will think about using non-elastic straps on my harness.

and sometimes i use this

in a crash it might damage the the tread insert for the visor screw, though.

That's neat. But I'd rather loose base plate, than part of the helmet.

 

[ebarker9]

i mostly use my selfmade chest strap with the camera mounted upside down.

some more pics here
at first i just had the straps alone but the result was pretty shaky. i then added the "H" made of some old carbon plates i had lying around to increase the contact area and added another strap at the bottom.

That's interesting. I may try to do something similar with the GoPro chest mount...increase the surface area. Right now if I hit any kind of bump, there's enough movement between the chest mount plate and my chest (actually armor) to cause really shaky video.

 

[IH8Rice]

and if you wanna watch the material right out of the cam you can, for example, use the VLC media player and just rotate the view there. no big deal really.

when rotating it in VLC, the video playback isnt consistent for me

 

[Transcend]

VLC drops frames like crazy. I wonder why they haven't released that firmware yet? I have had it since last November or so, and it seems to work flawlessly?

 

[IH8Rice]

I wonder why they haven't released that firmware yet? I have had it since last November or so, and it seems to work flawlessly?

theyve been saying the firmware is 99.9% done now for months.
theres zero issue with mine, but ive been trying to find a play back program that can rotate the video with no issue or a editing program that will keep the 60fps

 

[wil_e123]

I have mounted mine in pretty much the usual places already stated in the thread...

i find that for moto, using the helmet mount is good (e.g. on top of the helmet visor) such as here: MX Honda Park on Vimeo , but for dh, the angle really makes things look flat and smooth (when it might in reality be a steep trail with brake bumps and rough stuff all along). I bought the chest mount and find that angle much better (camera upside down) for dh, and moto for that matter - you can see the arms /bars, which gives a better impression of exactly what causes the arm pump - rough stuff (people who don't know either dh or moto seem surprise when you tell them that they're both extremely physical disciplines, HA)

I really haven't had any problems with camera shake when chest mounted upside down, so for those of you who have, then tighten the straps all the way and tighten your armor (if any) underneath. There was a tiny bit of play between the little J mount and the chest plate when I got it, so using some masking tape i taped up all the bits that were plastic on plastic (the rattling is always massively amplified by the gopro's protective case!), and now it's a rattle free and silent setup.

I have also been doing some boom/jib style mounting for fun, and the results were pretty good - although a bit shaky on very rough terrain. IMO, jib mounting gives a better idea of speed and terrain steepness, although the compromise is that the camera faces the rider and not the down slope of the terrain, check it out here (with a bit of chest mount angles thrown in):
Crans Montana DH Black Run on Vimeo

you'll find another video of a different track filmed exclusively with the jib on the right of the above link.

I also got some duct tape and taped it to my seat tube and played around with that for a bit, there's a bit of rub from the inside of the legs, but you wouldn't use that as the only angle if doing an edit anyway...(sorry, no examples online atm)

to be fair, I purchased the chest mount not wanting to spend the time making a diy one, although i've seen some impressive ones (such as in this thread)...however, a bit of duct tape/masking tape can really go a long way when it comes to mounting to the bike itself or other objects/vehicles.

next, I plan on filiming some moto with some buddies, using an RC helicopter and the gopro taped on.

play around with it, the thing is solid so not too much to risk!!!

 

[SylentK]

i also added a piece of rubber between the camera housing and the mounting piece because the cam used turn downwards while riding. works out pretty fine now, last thing left is to figure out the right angle for the camera. could still be a little higher up than in this video.

That's a good idea on the rubber piece behind the camera to help it stay in place. In my experience going over lots of rough terrain, the camera will sometimes slowly creep down, or I'll hit it with my seat going over something steep (you know, when you get waaay back behind the saddle?). A little "stopper" back there would help it not creep or get deflected, plus if made right it would be a jig that sets the cam up in the right angle each time.

 

[frango]

This is what I made

 

[IH8Rice]

This is what I made

any shot of the bracket order to put up here?

 

[frango]

any shot of the bracket order to put up here?

You mean this?

 

[spornographer]

i did these with the camera in 960 mode at 90-degrees. let's you see A LOT of the trail. i initially set up custom dimensions in final cut, but when the video was 640 wide, it was REALLY tall and didn't even fit on most screens. i just added the graphics/info on the right side of the frame to keep it "normal"

mounted on the bars with RAM mounts and some jimmy rigging
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L9vGAjAeOYQ&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L9vGAjAeOYQ&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

same thing, a lot rougher trail which means the jello effect from rolling shutter is a little annoying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lwQbqtHWTFg&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lwQbqtHWTFg&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

then i did this using a drum kit clamp mounted to the seatpost with a monopod leg sticking out so the normal go pro mount could be used. i was kind of stuck as far as pedaling, but that wasn't the point. the drum clamp ended up breaking (it was crappy metal, but inexpensive), but the camera was fine.
(can't embed, sorry)
http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/2009-Trek-Session-88-FR-Suspension-POV,442/sspomer,2

 

[IH8Rice]

ive been using the chest mount in reverse and have had pretty good luck with it (besides for specks of mud)

 

[jvnixon]

ive been using the chest mount in reverse and have had pretty good luck with it (besides for specks of mud)

34s in.. Ouch!

 

[IH8Rice]

34s in.. Ouch!

he did that twice that day. he switched to a lighter spring on his bike and was clipping pedals all day

 

[yuroshek]

haha miller down! those are the worst crashes, everythings fine until you hit the ground before you know it.

 

[IH8Rice]

haha miller down! those are the worst crashes, everythings fine until you hit the ground before you know it.

ive done that before right out of the gate at Platty. rock reached out and grabbed my pedal and before i knew it, i was on the ground facing the starting gate.

 

[Whoops]

That's interesting. I may try to do something similar with the GoPro chest mount...increase the surface area. Right now if I hit any kind of bump, there's enough movement between the chest mount plate and my chest (actually armor) to cause really shaky video.

Sorry for the thread-dredge, but was looking for help on this same problem (wobbly chest ) with my shiny new Hero3... this was a recent Xc ride... and it's only just ok. The DH stuff is a blur, sadly.

Using the bundled Cineform software to convert to AVI and then using Sony Vegas. Still looking for the workflow that will make my vids look even 1/10th as good as the gopro.com ones.... any hints?

 

[Whoops]

Also tried the helmet... pointing down too low.

.

 

[Dodgysam]

I really love trying out different mounting places.

I made up a plug to go in ur bar end and attach that to a cine arm and this is the outcome...well after the fork lower shot that is.

302 Found

 

[supercow]

Also messing about with different angles - makes more interesting footage when cut into an edit.

Excuse the quality, it was just a low quality output from my iPad

 

[frango]

Sorry for the thread-dredge, but was looking for help on this same problem (wobbly chest ) with my shiny new Hero3... this was a recent Xc ride... and it's only just ok. The DH stuff is a blur, sadly.

I've seen a guy on the web who has replaced original elastic chest mount bands with non-elastic. He said it was harder to breathe when tighten properly, but the vid was much less shaky.
I can't find the video right now, though.